Salvation Army in Bradenton received one of its first deliveries of more than 4,338 pounds of fresh food, thanks to new food storage equipment provided by Feeding Tampa Bay. As part of a $75,000 grant provided by the Walmart Foundation, Feeding Tampa Bay is providing more than 15 food pantries and community organizations with equipment vital to their operations, such as; refrigerators, pallet scales, and pallet jacks. The new infrastructure will help local food pantries increase the volume of fresh food – including produce, meat and other perishables – that will provide essential nutrition to the hungry individuals, families and seniors in Manatee County.

Since transitioning to a direct distribution model in Manatee County in July, Feeding Tampa Bay has distributed more than 264,000 pounds of food to the community. Of that, more than 78,000 pounds of fresh produce have been delivered to partner agencies in the area, helping to provide more nutritious resources to the people of Manatee County. As Feeding Tampa Bay has worked to increase the amount and quality of food provided to Manatee County, the new equipment will help that number exponentially grow, and will bring more healthy food options to the hungry people in Manatee County.